Needle guard for multiple-needde sewing machines



Feb; 6, E923; 1444,63 2

J. R. MOFFATT NEEDLE GUARD FOR MULTIPLE NEEDLE SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov 17, 1 92O 4 sheets-sheet 1 Feb. 6, 1923. 1,444,634

.1. MOFFATT NEEDLE GUARD FOR MULTIPLE'NEEDLE SEWING MACHINES Fi'led Nov; 17, 1920 4 sheets-sheetfl Feb. 6, 1923. 1,444,6 4;

,J. R. MOFFATT NEEDLE GUARD- FOR MULTIPLE NEEDLE SEWING MACHINES V Filed N v. 17, 1920 Feb. 6, 1923. 1,444,634

J. R. MOFFATT NEEDLE GUARD FOR MULTIPLE NEEDLE SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 17, 1920 4' sheets-sheet 4 Fatented Feb, 6,

eer e.

J'AT/LES B. IVIOFFATT, OE GEECQGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TG UNION SPECIAL BEACHINE COMPANY, OF GHICAGD, ILLINOIS, a l. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

NEEDLE GUARD F03? MEULEIPLE-NEEDEE SEWING- MACHINES.

Application filed November 1'7. 1920. Serial No. 424,700.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JAMES R. Morra'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle Guards for Multiple-Needle Sewing Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had'to the accompanying drawing, and

to the figures of reference inarlredthereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in needle guards for sewing machines, and more particularly to needle guards for multiple needle sewing machines having a threaded looper cooperating with each needle and disposed sons to move in a direction substantially parallel with and op posed to the direction'o'f feed as the loopers.

enter their respective needle thread loops.

In copending applications Serial llunn hers 42%,698 and 4241.699; filed of even date herewith by talph S. Kelso and myself jointly, and also by myself solely, there is Another object of the invention is to pro vide a machine o'l the above type with means tor supporting the needle guards whereby they may be shifted both in a direction parallel with the line of feed and in direction at right angles to the line of feed.

A further object of the invention is to provide machine h i tlle above type wherein the needle guards l 7' be raised and loweredl These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part he hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, whichshow by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a View, partly in front elevation and partly in ve'rt'cal section, of the front portion of a machine embodying my improvements Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the front portion of a machine showing the parts beneath.

the work support;..

Fig. 3 ,is a vertical section on the line 33 f Fig. 1;

Fig. 4c is a perspective view showing the supporting bracket and yoke for the needle guards;

Fig. 5. is a perspective view showing the support for the looper thread spreaders for one pair of needles;

F '6 is a planlview showing the loopers, the spreaders and the needle guards, the needles being shown in section, thel'oopers' being atthe forward endsgof their strokes;

is a similar view, but showing the loopers just entering their needle thread 1g. 8 is an en arged detail showing one ot'the needles in front elevation, the'needle guard in section, and the looper justprevious. I needle thread 100p and D linei,9%9 of Fig. 8.

In the drawings, thereis shown a multiple n'eedlel sewing machine of the type wherein a plurality of? needles are set in a line at right angles to the line of feed, and a tour-motion threaded, looper cooperates with each needle, said loopers being sup ported and positioned so as to move in a direction substantially parallel with and opposed tothe feed'fas thelo'opers enter their respective needle thread loops. Also associated with each looper is a movable spreader which. engages the'looper thread and holds it away from the body of they looper, during the backward movement of the latter, so as to insure the needle passing downwardly between the looper thread and the body of the looper. The machine so far referred to forms no part of the present invention but is'shown, described and claimed in an application liled'jointlyby Ralph S. Kelso and'myselfOctober 17,1919, Serial Fi 9 isa view of the same parts on the to the point thereof entering the sists broadly in means for holding said needle guards in a fixed position, and the holding means is so positioned to not in any way interfere with the loopers or spreaders in their movements. This holding means also includes parts which are adjustable relative to each other so that the needle guards may be raised and lowered, may be shifted back and forth in the direction parallel with the line of feed, andmay be shifted laterally in a direction at right angles to the line of feed. Referring more specifically to the drawings, the machine in which the invention is embodied includes a bed plate 1 carrying a work support 2, and carrying an overhanging arm 3 in which the needle bar 4 reciprocates. Said needle bar is reciprocated by the usual needle lever 5. The needle bar, as herein shown, carries a cross head 6 carrying two pairs of. needles 77 and 8-8. The material is held on the work support by means of a presser foot 9 carried by a presser bar 10. The material is fed across the work support by means of a feed dog 11 carried by a feed bar 12 pivoted at its rear end to a feed rocker 13 which is oscillated by an eccentric strap 14 cooperating with an eccentric on the main shaft 15. The feed bar is raised and lowered by an eccen tric 16 on the main shaft 15. Cooperating with each needle beneath the work support is a looper 17. These loopers are carried by a looper supporting rod. 18 which is oscillated by means of a linkl9 and which is moved endwise by means of a link 20 connected to a bell crank 21 which is oscillated by means of an eccentric strap 22 and this eccentric strap in turn cooperates with an eccentric on the main shaft 15.

Each looper is a threaded looper, and these loopers are so mounted as to move in a direction substantially parallel with and opposed to the direction of feed as they enter their respective needle thread loops, and each looper is moved laterally to give a needle avoiding movement thereto.

Associated withthe loopersare spreaders 23-23 and 2 1-424.. The spreaders 23-23 cooperate respectively with the needles 7'? and the spreaders 24 -2 cooperate respec tively with the needles 88. The spreaders, herein shown, are both carried by a single shank which in turn is mounted on the support 26 secured to a rod 27 by means of a screw 28. The shank 25 is held in the support 26 by means of a set-screw 29.' The reason for supporting these spreaders on a single shank is sothat the needles may be brought closer together and thus an extremely narrow gaged machine produced. The rod 27 supporting the spreaders is moved endwise by means of a link 30 connected to an arm carried by the hell crank 21..

Associated with the needles 7-Z' are needle guards 31.-31, and associated with the needles S8 are needle guards 32-32. These needle guards are all similar in construction and each is in the form of a finger having a slot 33 which is of less width than the diameter of the needle. This slot opens towards the cooperating needle, and is in alinement with the thread groove thereof. Each guard is independently mounted upon a yoke 34. Each guard is slotted, as indicated at 35, and a set-screw 36 passing through the slot into the yoke secures the finger to the yoke but permits the finger to be adjusted longitudinally. This yoke extends transversely of the line of feed, and, therefore, this adjustment of the needle guard is in a direction parallel with the line of feed. The upper face of the yoke is recessed to receive the fingers so as to prevent them from turning. The yoke 34 on which the needle guards are mounted is carried by a bracket 37. The ends of the yoke are slotted, as indicated at 38, and screws 39 pass through the slots into the bracket 37. These slots 38 permit the yoke to be shifted endwise, and thus the needle guards may be shifted laterally in a direction at right angles to the line of feed. The bracket 37 is provided with vertical slots 10-4l0 through which screws 41 pass, these screwsbeing threaded into the bed plate 1. By means of these slots 40 thebracket may be raised and lowered, and

thus the needle guards may be raised and lowered from one horizontal plane to another.

Through the three adjustments above described, the needle guards may be properly shifted so as to engage the needles at the right point in their path of travel and with the slots so positioned relative to the needles that the needle thread loop will not be interfered with. In other words, the slot in the needle guard is slightly wider than the diameter of the thread, and the needle thread loop will be bowed out into the slot.

The slot in the needle guard also serves to maintain the needle thread loop in a plane at right angles to the path of movement of the looper. There is more or less a tendency of the needle thread loop to whip about the needle, and this is prevented by the slot in the needle guard. While l have referred to the needle guard as engaging the needle,

it will be understood, of course, that if the needle remained in its proper normal position it would pass the guard without be ing engaged by the guard. If it is slightly deflected, however, the guard will position it properly for the looper to pass. Then again, in high speed machines, there is amore or less tendency of the needle to vibrate laterally and the needle guard being close to the path of the needle will prevent such excessive viease-eabrations which tend to cause the looper to skip the needle thread loop.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. The combination of a feeding mechanism, a plurality of needles, a looper for each needle, means for moving said loopers in a direction substantially parallel with and opposed to the direction of feed as they enter their respective needle thread loops, a stationary needle guard for each needle, and means for supporting said needle guards.

2. The combination of a feeding mechanism, a plurality of needles, a looper for each needle, means for moving said loopers in a direction substantially parallel with and opposed to the direction of feed as they enter their respective needle thread loops, a stationary needle guard for each needle, and means for supporting said needle guards, said supporting means including adjustable connections whereby the needle guards may be shifted in any direction to properly position the same relative to the needles.

3. The combination oi a feeding mechanism, a plurality of needles, a threaded looper for each needle, means for moving said loopers in a direction substantially parallel with and opposed to the direction oi feed as they enter their respective needle thread loops, a stationary needle guard for each needle, and means for supporting said needle guards, each needle guard having a slot in its face adjacent the needle of a width slightly less than the diameter oil the needle, said supporting means for the needle guards including adjustable devices whereby said needle guards may be shifted back and forth in a direction parallel with the line of feed and in a direction at right angles to the line of feed.

4-. The con'ibination with a bed plate, of a feed mechanism, a plurality oi needles, a threaded looper for each needle, means for moving said loopers in rection substan-' tially parallel wita and pposed to the di rection of feed they enter the r espective needle thread loops, :2. static .ry needle guard for each needle, and means for supporting said needle guards, said supporting means for the needle guard including a bracket secured to the bed plate, and a yoke carried by the bracket on which the needle guards are mounted, said yoke being disposed bencath the path of movement of'the loopers.

5. The combination with a bed plate, of a leading mechanism, a plurality of needles, a threaded looper for each needle, means for moving said loopers in a direction substan tially parallel with and opposed to the direction of the feed as they enter their respective needle thread loops, a stationary needle guard'lor each needle, and means for supporting said needle guards, said supporting means for the needle guards including a bracket, means for securlng the bracket to the bedplate of the machine whereby said bracket may be raised and lowered, a yoke adjustably secured to the bracket whereby said yoke may be shifted in a horizontal plane, and means for securing the needle guards to said yoke whereby said needle guards may be adjusted in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the yoke.

6. The combination of a bed plate, a plurality 01' pairs of closely spaced needles, a threaded looper for each needle mounted and disposed so as to move in a direction substantially parallel with and opposed to the direction of feed as the looper enters its needle thread loop, a needle guard for each needle, a bracket, means for securing the bracket to the bed plate whereby it may be adjusted vertically. a yoke secured to the bracket adjacent its upper end and disposed below the path of movement of the loopers, said yoke being adjustable in a direction at right angles to the feed, a needle guard for each needle, and means for securing the needle guards to the yoke whereby they may be adjusted in a direction parallel with the line of feed.

7. The combination with a bed plate, a plurality of pairs of closely spaced needles, a threaded. looper for each needle mounted and disposed so as to move in a direction substantially ]')arallel with and opposed to the direction of feed when the looper enters its needle thread loop, a needle guard for each needle, a bracket, means for securing the bracket to the bed plate, a yoke secured to the bracket and disposed beneath the path. of movement of the looper-s, needle guard for each needle carried by said yoke and disposed beneath the path of movement of the lcopers, spreader cooperating with each hreadee looper, mean-e located in front of the needles for supporting said sgreaders, said spreaders being disposed above the path of movement or" the loopers and located between the ant s ol the yoke carrying the needle guards.

In testimony whereof I tlllX my signature.

JAMES R. MOFFATT. 

